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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694484">rose-tinted glasses</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/morpeko/pseuds/morpeko'>morpeko</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, soubetrayal.txt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:00:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,188</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694484</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/morpeko/pseuds/morpeko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hop always insists that Sou is acting strangely. Schilly doesn’t see it, until she does.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>rose-tinted glasses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Hop’s a kind fellow, always having the energy to match Schilly in conversation, which is fantastic! Not that their other companions’ lack of enthusiasm was a bad thing, but, well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Schilly pops a chip in her mouth, chewing and listening intently as he retells his match against Allister in vivid detail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The matches today at Stow-on-Side had been rather intense, but thankfully, all five of their group of challengers were victorious in the end, each fighting their own difficult battle and eventually coming out on top. Schilly had woken up bright and early in the morning, after getting a good rest, so she could arrive at the stadium early enough to both prepare for her own and make it to the first match in time. Sometimes, she thinks even watching matches can be as fun as fighting them herself, and there’s plenty to learn from them, as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hop had been first up to face Allister, having been scheduled to battle earliest, and she remembers matching his wobbly, nervous smile with her own encouraging one right before he had to leave for the battlefield. Honestly, she didn’t know why he doubted himself so much— he was a good battler, and clearly cared for his Pokemon! And really, that was all that mattered, wasn’t it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d won, but she hadn’t been able to catch the tail-end of his match, needing to leave to prepare for her own. Though she’d seen him on his way to the stands, and while he was hard to make out (crowds moved a lot!), she could at least pinpoint his bright, worn-out grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She recalled that Bede had struggled a bit due to his team, composed of Psychic-types. She had been on the edge of her seat for the entirety of the match, tension tightly coiled in her gut, but he, too, had won in the end, to the sound of roaring cheers. His expression upon realizing his victory seemed disgusted, as usual, but she was sure he was happy on the inside! He always tried to hide his emotions, besides open distaste, but it wasn’t like he was impossible to read, with the ends of his lips twitching upwards before he forced them back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Afterwards had come Marnie, who had swept Allister’s team with an elegant calmness that was just so cool. Even without the dark-type advantage, Schilly’s sure she would’ve won easily, battling prowess already at a much higher level than it needed to be at this point in the gym challenge. She had cheered for her extra loudly, so that she could be heard even from the battlefield, and those Marnie banners sure did come in handy to wave around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The final match of the day went to Sou, who had come up with fantastic strategies and dominated the arena, as always. She hadn’t even noticed that he’d gotten a new team member— Fannyn, an Oranguru, and the one he’d chosen to dynamax in the round— but the two worked well together. She and Hop had both excitedly spectated his match, occasionally whispering predictions to each other (then having to repeat them because the crowd was so loud), and though Bede and Marnie were much quieter, the fact that they hadn’t left after their own matches did not go unnoticed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bede had made his own snarky commentary at times, per usual. But even he had stopped talking near the end, eyes round, when Sou revealed his plan with a dramatic flourish, securing victory to the amazement of the crowd.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had all stayed to watch each others’ matches (besides Sou, but that was to be expected, wasn’t it), and Schilly swears, dynamaxing gets cooler every time she sees it, especially in person. Something about the grandness of it all— massively-scaled Pokemon, making her feel so tiny in comparison— along with the even more exhilarating action, giant thunderbolts arcing down the stadium or magnificently glowing bursts of purple, just set her heart aflame! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not to mention the infectious energy of the stadium, with the crowd chanting in sync to the thundering of her heart; all of it combining to create an experience she was sure she’d never forget. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Afterwards, they had all split their own ways, with Schilly and Hop leaving together to get lunch, to celebrate their victories. All the traveling and battling was fun, especially since she got to be with her friends a majority of the time, but it was nice to take a break and simply relax for a while. And, well, spending time with Hop was always a joy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your final blow was so cool!” Schilly gushes, eyes sparkling. “His Gengar was so scary, but you took it down so easily!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hop laughs, face red with embarrassment, and he glances down, hand coming up to rest behind his head. “Aw, really, it was nothing! All because of my team, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She squints at him, grinning. “Yeah, but you’re the amazing trainer leading them.” She could pick on attempts to avoid praise like a hunter seeking out its prey— and though he covers his smile, she can tell he’s pleased at her words, golden eyes curving into crescents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He retorts, “If anyone’s amazing here, it’s you. You took him down with only two Pokemon!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And indeed, she had, though it wasn’t necessarily a positive. At the mention of her member count, Schilly’s expression grows slightly rueful, and she looks down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her battle was tough, much more than it should’ve been, and she’s still a bit surprised that she ended up winning. Having Kilo was a huge help, of course, especially against Allister’s Yamask, and it also boosted her mood tremendously to fight with him again (his little waggy tail was so cute!), but a two-on-four battle put her at a clear disadvantage no matter how you looked at it. She had just barely managed to avoid KOs on either Pokemon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, though it would’ve been a lot nicer if I had my whole team…” And, of course, she was still missing four of her precious members. No one had called in with any information since Hop’s discovery of Kilo, which was a bit disappointing. She supposed she would just have to wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He places a hand on her shoulder, expression sympathetic, and she glances up to meet his eyes. “Hey, don’t worry about it! I’m sure we’ll find all of them eventually— you already found Kilo, for one, so I’m sure it won’t take that long for the rest to start showing up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Schilly sighs, but his words really do help, and she shoots him a bright smile. “You’re too nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They continue their discussion, walking and occasionally taking bites of their food. It’s veered into the topic of their companions in the gym challenge now, and Hop tries to stifle his laughter when Schilly makes her most distasteful face in a poor impression of Bede.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s a funny guy! He doesn’t actually hate us, of course, but with the way he looks at Sou, sometimes I get kinda worried!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hop looks a bit skeptical at the first half of her statement— why, what had she said?— but he moves past it, responding, “Why does he hate Sou so much, anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea!” Schilly says cheerfully. “Sou’s so nice, too, so it’s pretty weird.” And it really was; Sou was one of the kindest people she knew and she was pretty sure he hadn’t done anything to deserve Bede’s odd behavior. She’d just attribute it to Bede being his ticked-off self and leave the rest of the Bede-wrangling to Sou. They seemed to have a peculiar relationship, but it wasn’t any of her business to speculate on or interfere with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though, as she walks on ahead, footsteps tracing paths in the sand, she realizes Hop isn’t at her side anymore. Strange. She turns, confused, to where he’s paused a few steps back, hand gripping his food wrapper with just a bit too much force, to the point where she was a bit worried for its sake. His expression is conflicted, as though he were deciding whether or not he should ask a question. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After he notices that she’s stopped as well, he seems to make up his mind, and looks her in the eye. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you think Sou acts a bit strangely, sometimes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Why would you think that?” she asks bemusedly. Sou wasn’t particularly strange; not compared to the rest of them, at least. It wasn’t like he stood out a whole bunch, either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hop looks a bit uncertain, but carries on anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just… the way he talks about the rusted sword and shield.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s still not sure she gets what he’s saying. “...what do you mean?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh.” He pauses for a second. “I know it’s probably nothing, but he’s so... possessive of them? I don’t know if that’s the right word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Possessive. Schilly doesn’t think she’s ever seen Sou being possessive of anything, or even just selfish at all in their entire year of knowing each other. Her expression hasn’t changed, smile still present, but it’s starting to feel like it’s been pasted on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t know if she’s missed something, but Hop’s point, or joke, or whatever it is, isn’t quite clicking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… he’s been working with tools for a while now. He just wants to see a real sword.” He wanted firsthand experience, and what was wrong with that? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She still remembers meeting Sou for the first time at the Slumbering Weald, Sou speaking of his past of being from a family of swordsmiths but only ever having been taught to maintain model swords, focusing on other gear and tools instead. Of course he’d jump at the chance to see one in person, really, who wouldn’t? Even she was pretty excited to see what the rusted artifacts looked like up close, without the fog of the Slumbering Weald or those two strange illusions hovering over. It made sense to her that Sou wanted to see them as well; she didn’t see any reason for Hop to think anything was off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, but isn’t it weird, too, how Rose got so close to him so quickly? I mean, he invited Sou to dinner, but Bede’s the one he endorsed, right? Not like he’d ever let us forget…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She recalls Bede having said something along those lines before (though rather than confiding his worries in Schilly, he had practically spat the words out at Sou, who had just looked really confused). But he was Bede, and Hop was quite definitely not Bede. Seeing him saying something so similar was a bit offputting, but she doesn’t voice this aloud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, while she doesn’t agree with what Hop’s saying, it’s not like she wants to argue with him. Just thinking about quarreling over something this small puts a bad taste in her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, of course, it’s not really a bad thing?” Hop rushes to add, coughing out an “I think, at least,” to the side. He seems to notice that her smile has dimmed a bit, and she appreciates him trying to be considerate of her feelings, but… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um. Maybe? I don’t know, I don’t think he’s done anything wrong…” Schilly trails off, forcing a laugh out at the end. Hop just nods, clearly not wanting to argue either, and they continue on, conversation moving into brighter topics. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neither of them bring up Hop’s question for the rest of the day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They split after finishing their food, Schilly waving a cheerful goodbye and returning to the trailer, any strange thoughts of Sou already far from her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’ve both just beaten the Ballonlea gym, which was supposed to be an absolutely fantastic thing, and all they need to do now is wait for Sou to finish as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the current topic at hand isn’t exactly one she enjoys discussing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I dunno… when you told me about how you lost your team, didn’t you say he still had his Sirfetch’d when he woke up? ...And I don’t think he trusts Rose, either, and Lee trusts Rose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Schilly feels her lips tug downwards. Was he really bringing this up now, in the middle of an audience of thousands, all excitedly anticipating the next gym challenger? Marnie was only a few seats away, too (though Bede was still missing— had been since after Stow-on-Side, for some reason). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My team disappearing isn’t his fault. Don’t make him still having his Pokemon a bad thing…” she says, trailing off. She didn’t exactly find it comfortable facing the implications in Hop’s words. And as for the issue of Rose— Schilly can’t admit that she knows or understands exactly what Sou’s been saying about him and Macro Cosmos, but of course he doesn’t actually believe they have bad intentions. How could they, when entrusted with so much responsibility and power over the region and its people?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but doesn’t that set off any kind of warning bells?” Hop makes a face. “And, well, his eyes creep me out sometimes, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That crosses a line. “Hey, now, that’s just mean!” Schilly snaps. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could entertain the thought of strangers being a little wary around Sou; of course, she couldn’t control whatever they thought of him. She knew he was kind of quiet, knew she was the more sociable of the two, knew that when it came to holding a conversation, Schilly would always be the one to talk more— but that didn’t imply anything at all, especially not whatever point Hop was trying to make. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>People could think whatever they wanted of Schilly’s boisterous nature. She knows things have been said about her— comments on her attitude and personality from spectators of the gym challenge,, but Sou hadn’t done anything wrong, and she wouldn’t stand for others poking fun at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t even spoken to Hop today, who was pointing out, what, Sou’s eyes?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Hop’s words did sting her, too, especially since she really did consider him a friend. If he didn’t trust Sou, couldn’t he at least believe that Schilly trusted him, believed in him, had practically lived with him for some time now? Sou couldn’t even defend himself at the moment, currently away preparing for his own battle against Opal, working his hardest so that he could continue on the road to the championships with her and find her team.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Just… give it some thought, would you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Hop looks genuinely apologetic, so she’ll drop the topic for now, but the cloud casting a shadow over her mood doesn’t go away for the rest of the day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they exit the stadium, Sou worriedly asks her what’s wrong. She gives him a half-baked excuse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All they’ve done today is travel, their five-man band stuffed into their little trailer, huddled together against the cold, so Magnolia decides that they’ll break just as the sun begins to set. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It makes a pretty sight, too, golden light spilling across the glittering cold ice of Route 9, casting the entire sky a lovely pink shade just as evening begins to settle in. Schilly hops out of the car as soon as they find a place to park and snaps more than a few photos— she really can’t resist such a gorgeous sight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re about one-half of the way to Circhester, where Schilly and Sou will face off against Melony. Schilly’s not too worried— Raboot’s fire should be able to clear the ice-typed gym fairly easily, and she’s found Mega, too, now, which reassures her quite a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As long as everything goes according to plan, she’ll be able to snag the Circhester badge in a flash, and they’ll be on their way to Spikemuth before she knows it— of course, though, it wouldn’t hurt to stay for a bit in Circhester; she’s heard wonderful things about their hot springs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though, she’s also heard that Melony was the only gym leader to have defeated Raihan before, who was the only one to have even come close to defeating Leon, so she definitely shouldn’t underestimate the challenge. Plus, from the few matches she’s watched online, Melony usually dynamaxes her Lapras, which would pose much more of an issue than the rest of her team. The dual Water/Ice typing would render Raboot’s fire-type attacks less effective, which would really be a bother. It also probably carried a water type move, too, and if it took out Raboot in one shot, she’s not sure what she would do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe she could use Mega’s Thundershock to take out the Lapras? Kilo likely wouldn’t be very effective in the overall battle, but if she can think of a strategy with the other two…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She can’t let her journey end here— she still hasn’t found the rest of her team, and the further she goes, the more people hear the word. It’s still a miracle that she was able to find Kilo and Mega, but she’s not going to stop at just them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, honestly, the more battles she experiences, and the more victories she racks up, the more she actually kind of yearns to become the champion; or at least be able to stand proudly in Wyndon Stadium, largest of them all, the whole of Galar’s eyes fixated on the battlefield. Somewhere inside her, some crevice in the corner of her heart sparked by that first gym battle and nurtured as she kept fighting on and on, she craves that feeling, that rush she gets when she’s surrounded by thousands, cheering for her or her opponent— but does it really matter, because they’re cheering nonetheless! She can hardly imagine a battle against the champion, just seeing Leon’s legendary Charizard in person, but battling it would be the magnificent cherry on top of a double-decker cake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a rather poetic feeling, she thinks, one that’s much better experienced than described. Everyone’s voices chanting as one, unifying in a song for the battle of their lives— or something wonderful like that; she’s never been the best with words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And for that sole moment, right before the match official blows the whistle, she knows everything will be deadly quiet, all spectators practically holding their breath, and yet her heart will never have pounded louder. Those moments are always her favorite, because at that point, all the preparation she’s done, any overthinking she might’ve been holding on to— they’d all be gone, released into the wind, driven from her head by the single thought that this is really happening, this is about to happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s shaken out of her thoughts by Sou tapping her shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The curry’s ready,” he says, small smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But wait, what? He knew he didn’t have to come all the way to her workroom to speak with her. “I can hear you in the kitchen from here, you know! If you leave the pot alone, Stickyn’s bound to steal some.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sou looks amused. “I think you were blanking out for a second, there. I did call you a couple times earlier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. “Wait, really? My bad,” she says, tone apologetic. She does feel bad, really, for her tendency to get lost too far in her own overwhelming thoughts— it’s derailed plenty of conversations, before, and one or two battles, as well. Sou always seems to understand, though, and never speaks ill of it, or her in general. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He never judges, never complains about her being “too loud”, and while she doesn’t really mind what people say— she’s never been one to let the blunt ends of others’ words chip away at her heart— Sou’s unending patience does mean a lot to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, let’s eat, then!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The curry is delicious, as always. She swears Sou and Magnolia have some magical gift for cooking the perfect curry (Sou’s got to keep something in that oversized beanie of his, right?). The sauce is always delightfully flavorful, a mix and match of spices from different places. She’s not even particularly ravenous, but gulps down the curry in large bites, anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sou looks satisfied, watching her enjoy the food and taking smaller bites of his own. They sit in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the food and each other’s company. Normally Schilly would try to make conversation, but the food is so good that she doesn’t want to stop eating, and honestly, the silence is comfortable enough anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Has everything been fine, lately?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Schilly looks up from where she’s got her spoon halfway raised to her mouth, about to take a bite. Sou realizes and hurriedly brings his hands up, distressed furrow forming between his brows. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no, you can finish eating, don’t let me bother you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She snorts out a laugh, grinning as she finishes the mouthful in her spoon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unbidden, Hop’s words rise to her mind, and she gives her head a slight shake to clear it. Sou was perfectly fine, perfectly normal. Everything had been wonderful lately— victory upon victory, and returning to the trailer for a delicious meal after every day. She couldn’t ask for more, really. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just that, well, you’ve been a bit down recently, and I was wondering if I could do anything to help…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, then again, this day was one of the few times Sou wasn’t out off exploring or staring at a dusty old book for hours on end. Most of the time, if they weren’t travelling to the next location, he would be out for entire days, only returning when the sun was about to hit the horizon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she knows there’s nothing wrong with being busy, but it does get to her, sometimes, because she knows she would go to every single one of his matches, busy or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, she lets herself be curious just this once, and says, “I’ve been great! Though, it kinda sucks having you around a lot less. What’s been up on your end?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sou huffs out a laugh, fidgeting with his spoon. “Not much, really, I’ve just been interested in Galar. It’s a really cool region.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes are closed as he smiles, as always. Schilly doesn’t know why, but she feels an urge to prod a bit more. She chooses her words carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, do you… remember what happened, that day at the weald? Way back when we first met?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sou tilts his head. “Yeah, of course. What’s up?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have any idea why only my Pokemon went missing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And here, he pauses for a second, hesitating slightly before speaking. “I really have no idea, I’m sorry.” Schilly isn’t sure what to make of his response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He frowns, and a moment later, begins to speak again, tone questioning. “What brought this up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Schilly panics for a second internally, because she really doesn’t feel good about lying to Sou’s face, but definitely doesn’t want to tell him about her and Hop’s discussion, for some reason. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, really, haha. I just remembered, and, um, was wondering.” She’s never claimed to be the best liar, but she prays Sou won’t linger on it for too long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, he seems to accept her words, and the topic dies there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spend the rest of the evening chatting, and he shows her his most recent gear plans. He’s got modifications planned for Fannyn’s gear, and Schilly offers him some bits of advice, which he takes into consideration, scribbling down notes in the margins of his blueprints. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amusingly, his handwriting is barely legible, but so is hers, so she can’t exactly say anything. He shoots her a grateful smile for her help, which she returns. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pokes around his workspace for a bit while he makes adjustments, leafing through blueprint after blueprint that he’d created to help various Pokemon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stumbles upon a design for a sword, as well, and Sou, upon noticing that she’d seen it, launches into an excited tirade about how he’d want to forge one someday, following in his family’s footsteps. She’s plenty curious, and he’s happy to answer all her questions about various sword-details.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a nice evening. When it becomes far too dark to do any more work, they bid each other goodnight, Sou retreating to the bench seat at the front of the trailer and Schilly leaving to the couch for the night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Schilly swears they have this conversation in practically every city, now. This is not an observation she’s fond of making. Hop doesn’t seem to like it, either, but he is the one that brings the topic up every time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He never watches your matches, either! And— I know, he doesn’t have to, but he’s literally always off doing something else! Schilly, please, just think about it for a second—” And he looks so desperately imploring, but no, he’s wrong, she can’t believe him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t say he’s untrustworthy just because he has other priorities! And I’m sorry, but I’ve known him for much longer than I have you… I know Sou’s a good person!” And he really is; Schilly doesn’t think she’s biased, at least. She’s seen him care for Pokemon devastated at the loss of their precious object or weapon, reforming it back into use or recreating one by hand, spending night after night at his makeshift forge, reworking and refining the tool even after the sun has long set until he can present it to the Pokemon in perfect condition again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The joy on their faces is an unmatched sight, and Schilly knows Sou takes pride in it, as well. And he doesn’t smile  (really smile, with true happiness) often, which is totally fine! But the few she’s seen have been impossibly soft, often directed at Pokemon he’s managed to help, enough to make her refuse whatever Hop’s implying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’ve spent a year together, now, them two and the professor and, more recently, Marvin. If she had to pick three people to trust, it would quite definitely be them— and she likes Hop, she really does, but he’s been insisting that Sou is, what, a bad person? A traitor? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she can’t do this, doesn’t want to hear this (in part because she knows there’s a truth somewhere in there, but she’d never admit it), so she spins on her heel and walks away, corners of her vision blurring with unshed angry tears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t know why he insists on bringing it up all the time. Why would Sou have malicious intentions, anyway? They would be difficult enough to hide, much less from people you were with all the time, and he had willingly chosen to go with her and Magnolia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d just be giving himself away; he would’ve already given himself away at this point, right? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had been helping her search for her team, as well— why would he do that if he had been the one to take them? Someone had called in just a few days earlier, claiming that they’d seen a Falinks that matched her description, and sure enough, it had been Giga! Their reunion was a happy, tearful one, and when she’d told Sou the good news, he’d been plenty happy for her. No one could fake emotions that well, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Him not watching her matches wasn’t an issue at all; she wasn’t his priority and that was totally fine. He said he’d taken an interest in the history behind Galar, and she couldn’t fault him for that at all— it was a gorgeous, vibrant region, with a wealth of history behind it, and their journey through the gym challenge could basically double as a tour guide through Galar’s landmarks. If it were her, she definitely would’ve taken the chance, like he’d been doing, to visit all the attractions they’d passed by… though she doesn’t know if she would skip his matches for them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had plenty of time to wander around on his own, it wasn’t like they left as soon as they beat the gym.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it’s nothing. He had his own business. And as for the relics, they didn’t even know where they were, now, so did it really matter? They had disappeared, along with those strange illusions and her Pokemon (which he already denied knowing anything about). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besides, it’s not like Sou could do anything with the sword and shield, if he really wanted them. Right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unless… no, she shakes her head. She had to trust him, she had no reason not to. If she couldn’t trust him, then what had the past year been for? She won’t let herself delve down that train of thought; for her own sake, at least, if not Sou’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So instead, she finds a place to sit and tries to relax. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sits on her own for a while, almost dozing off. Once her overwhelming emotions have mostly passed and the tangle of her thoughts has unraveled a bit, she begins to retrace her footsteps, returning to where she’d left Hop on his own. She’s a bit surprised to find that he’s still there, having also found a place to sit, dejectedly eating a Spikemuth hotdog. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she giggles a bit at the sight, because really, Hop’s not a bad person either— he’s rather great, actually, and she hates getting into arguments with him (or anyone, really). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upon seeing her, he immediately rises out of his seat and rushes to meet her, expression apologetic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I went too far!” “I overreacted, I’m really sorry!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They apologize at the same time, words tumbling out before either can register anything. Upon realizing what the other’s said, they both glance up to stare at each other, surprised. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Schilly’s the first to break into a smile, futilely trying to hide it with a hand, and Hop follows soon after, both ending up laughing for no reason at all. Schilly wipes a tear from her face, grin widening, and somehow, she’s already forgotten all about their earlier talk.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Some people would just see Sou differently. She’d have to make peace with that. And, well, she had a gym challenge to beat. She couldn’t linger for too long on the behavior of her friends, strange or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Schilly’s about to face Raihan in her final gym match, the first challenger of the day, this time. She’s ridiculously excited— she started this journey to find her missing team, and now all but one are reunited with her. And everything’s going so well that she just knows she’ll find Peta soon! She’s so much more confident with five-sixths of her team at her side, and she feels like the battle’s going to be a breeze, even though it really shouldn’t be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The crowd has already formed in the stands, a steady, constant stream of noise in the background as people discuss the final gym challengers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, aren’t those the two Leon sponsored? And one of them’s Leon’s brother, too, the lineup this year is stacked!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She overhears a bit of it, and she can’t help but raise her head a bit higher, proud of the reputation they’ve built up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Following the bustling noise of the crowd, her friends are heading up towards the stands, where, though she doesn’t think she’ll be able to pinpoint them mid-match, she knows they’ll be watching and cheering her on (even Bede, somewhere in his little dark heart!). It’s an absolute relief to always have them somewhere in the stands, and knowing they’ll be watching her really boosts her morale.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of them except Sou, that is, who’s already begun to walk in the opposite direction, towards the exit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that was to be expected, right? It wasn’t like he’d stayed for her other matches, and he had expressed having to go somewhere earlier in the day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She knows this. She should’ve known this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Schilly can’t help but be more than a little disappointed, though, that the person she considered her closest friend wouldn’t even stay and watch her last match in the gym challenge, at least. He couldn’t bother to say goodbye, either?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the corner of her eye, she sees Hop shoot her a look, which she pointedly ignores, because Sou could do whatever he wanted, right? His business was his business, and her feelings on the matter didn’t change anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had told her good luck earlier, and she knew he believed in her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was enough, that should’ve been enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why does she feel so strange?</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dragons, victories, Wyndon, semifinals. Marnie was a fierce opponent, and her Grimmsnarl had been a particularly tricky foe. And though she doesn’t say anything after the match, Schilly could tell by the look in her eye that she had thoroughly enjoyed their battle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beating Hop wasn’t something she particularly… enjoyed doing, but she had been determined not to go easy on him, and could tell he felt the same way, at least, so the guilt didn’t hang too heavy over her head. The match had been a fantastic one— both sides giving their all, equally determined. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s so proud of both of them, and seeing their teams slowly go down one by one, until her Cinderace was all that remained, barely standing, had been thrilling, to say the least. She recalls running to meet Hop in the center of the field post-match, immediately winding him into a tight hug, and his face on her shoulder had been wet with tears, but so had hers. They didn’t need to say anything; all that was shared was an unspoken look at how far we’ve come,  you’ve done so well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that, they had taken Rose Tower by storm— hey, Sou had been right about Macro Cosmos!— and defeated Oleana, just in time to catch Rose and Leon’s conversation. But Rose couldn’t be a bad person, right? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And even if he was, it couldn’t be too bad, and it wasn’t her issue, not something she would or could afford to be worried about now, because the finals were so close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even just before the last few matches of the championship, though, Hop’s expression lingered in her mind, the one he’s made, right after he’d been defeated. She doubts he even had noticed he’d made one, in the heat of the moment, the pain from losing clear on his face. Marnie had made a similar one, as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Sou had lost, earlier, to Hop, though he didn’t seem all too dejected about it, leaving after that for whatever reason. She doesn’t even have time to worry about him, though, with the final matches coming up so soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few thoughts do manage to slip in, though, amongst the storm of anxiety and anticipation. Victory was fantastic, but was being the champion absolutely her dream? Hadn’t she only joined the league championship to find her missing team? Was it worth stepping on the dreams of countless others, all of whom wanted to achieve their goals no less than her? </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She answers her own question, standing just before the arena in Wyndon, Leon barely visible on the other side. As predicted, she’s filled with adrenaline, mind in peak condition and ready to battle, and it’s a greater thing than she thinks she’s ever felt before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly, though, she isn’t nervous, not one bit, even though the parts of the crowd she could see from her position were already roaring with excitement, and the immense pressure upon her in that moment should’ve affected her in some way, or another, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But no, the only emotion she can feel, pouring out of every inch of her body, is anticipation— anticipation as she steps out to a vast crowd and field, anticipation as she firmly shakes hands with Leon, anticipation as they stride to their opposite sides of the battlefield. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One step, two steps, three steps, too many to count; she knows she seems calm on the outside, and, for once matching that, her mind is completely clear, as well. She can tell that her hand’s trembling as she reaches for her first ball, and she senses that Tera, hidden inside, is just as excited. It should be their final match, after all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Darkest days, swords and shields, legendary myths. Was Sou right about everything? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rose had been evil, too; or maybe not evil, but definitely not what she’d originally thought of him, not even close to the pedestal she’d placed him upon. They fight. She wins, but she can’t feel any satisfaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A return to a quieter place, mysterious fog still draped over the sanctuary. Hop seems just as nervous as she is, reaching for the rusted sword, while she picks up the shield.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rise of a dragon that didn’t even seem like a Pokemon— it was immense and monstrous, luminescent salmon pink of its body standing out, practically glowing, a sharp contrast to the dark violet of its armor plates. As the world falls to ruin, all Schilly can wonder is, where is Sou?</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now this is the final battle, or what feels like it, anyway, desperation clawing at Schilly with an intensity that she doesn’t think she’s ever felt before. Hop’s somewhere to her side, fighting his own battle with Zacian on his team, and she has no idea where Sou, Bede, and Marnie are. She hopes they’re okay, hopes they’re somewhere far, far away from this place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d been fine before, at the matches, Bede having his moment in the spotlight as he challenged her one last time, Marnie somewhere in the stands, hopefully cheering her on, at the time of the finals. She and Hop had only been able to meet up with Sonia, in their rush to find the legendary relics. The gym leaders had been trying to organize the people and keep the peace, so everyone is else is hopefully okay, but she can’t say anything for sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, no, she’s spent too long in her own thoughts (of course that had to come back to haunt her! Why now, of all times), and she can see Eternatus’s tail flying towards her, much closer than it had been before, and it’s too late to dodge and— </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It slams directly into her side, and yep, she definitely hears something crack in there. She’s flung right off her feet, suspended in midair for a second before gravity sets in, landing her harshly on her left knee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pain arcs up her leg; ow, come on, couldn’t Eternatus have picked a better spot for her to fall on, preferably one that wasn’t injured already? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Schilly!” she hears Hop call out, voice panicked and full of worry and something else that she can’t read. Oh, Hop, he’s always trusted her to fight for herself, always cheered her on— she likes that about him (liked that about him, who knows if they’ll make it out of here!)— but now she can barely feel her side, or legs, or anything at all, which is definitely not a good sign. She doesn’t even know if she can get up on her own, what are they going to do, what can they do?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Schilly takes a second to cough, trying to catch her breath and regain her surroundings for at least a second. She quickly scans the battlefield. Her Pokemon seem to be doing fine, thankfully, if not a bit worn out from all the battling. Even just the sight of her beloved team together again, along with Cinderace, standing tall, is enough to make her crack a smile for a second. They’re fighting so determinedly on her behalf, and if she just believes in them like always, she knows they can win this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All they needed to do was beat this stupid giant dragon, and then they could return to their little trailer and have a nice curry dinner, still warm from the pot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, wait, she thinks she can see Sou walking towards her (he’s missing his beanie, which is odd). But no, she must be hallucinating, because he definitely wasn’t fighting Eternatus with them. When did he get here?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hasn’t been around for a while now, always off doing research of his own and returning for only brief periods, before disappearing completely just before her final league match (at which point, she couldn’t really think of much besides Eternatus, Rose, and the legendary dogs). She hadn’t put any more thought into it besides when Hop had brought it up, because, well, she had much more to worry about. But it’s okay, because he was going to help her, and everything was going to be just fine, right? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He raises an arm above her, rusted sword in hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait, the rusted sword? Why did he have it— wasn’t Hop supposed to have the other relic? Then, what had happened? She can’t think of a reason Hop would’ve just given it to him, so Sou must’ve taken it somehow. No, but he probably had his own reasonable motives, as he always did. She could trust Sou, they were friends, they’d always been friends, two peas in a pod, so Hop likely handed it over, for whatever reason.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then she recalls Hop’s cry and the tinge of something else in it, and now Sou was standing over her, expressionless, sword raised— oh, had Hop been trying to warn her, too?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And finally, finally, Schilly thinks she realizes what’s going on, rose-tinted glasses shattering in front of her eyes, a thousand shards falling away to reveal the bleak truth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sou’s always talked about wanting to see the rusted sword and shield, or wanting to take them in his hands, or something, but she didn’t think it would be to this extent, not even close. She knew, inside, that Hop had been right about some things, but she had willingly turned away from what she knew to be true to defend Sou unhesitatingly— oh, how foolish she was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Had this been his goal all along? Had he disappeared right before her match against Leon to search for the sword and shield, too? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then... was anything real at all? Had he only joined her, not because he felt bad about the loss of her team, but because he wanted to get his hands on the legendary relics?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now he’s got the sword, and Schilly has the shield (or technically, Zamazenta does, but does it really matter?), and he wants the shield, which is clearly a problem, but what lengths would he go to obtain it? She doesn’t know anymore, doesn’t know him anymore, or did she ever know him, really?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s hard to tell, because her vision is blurring at the edges, wobbling in places it shouldn’t, but, for a second, she feels as if she can see some kind of emotion— remorse, she thinks, she hopes— in Sou’s face. She still feels like he’s a good person, deep down, even if it’s naive. They’d spent so much time together that she found it hard to believe that absolutely everything was fabricated. But she’s never been good at reading his emotions, never given a second thought to his actions because she’s always just trusted him without a word. Arceus, she should’ve listened to Hop, shouldn’t she?</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Sou?” she whispers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>writing is HARD mad respect to all you writers out there</p><p>(aggressively gestures at kusaka) give us traitorsou!! or at least sou with a bit more motivation or personality.. or something... i feel like schilly would probably be absolutely devastated if he did turn out to have ulterior motives but we'll have to see! </p><p>in this sou's the one that's witnesses the rose and bede scene in stow-on-side, somewhere around when schop are having lunch. id like to think he and bede had some kind of conversation and battle before sou joined the eternatus fight... about what, who knows!</p><p>i haven't played the swsh games so sorry if some plot details are off!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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